"...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples." Isaiah 56:7

"O Lord,...you have been pleased to bless this house of your servant, so that it will always remain. It is you, O Lord, who blessed it, and it will be blessed forever." 1 Chr 17: 26-27

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“From here in Ephesus, a city blessed by the presence of Mary Most Holy — who we know is loved and venerated also by Muslims - let us lift up to the Lord a special prayer for peace between peoples.” - Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Homily at "Mary's House" in Ephesus, Turkey, November 29, 2006

Tell me about Sr.Marie and this Foundation!

OK! Watch the RomeReports Film to your right. Then view our Foundation Filmjust below it for a glimpse into the inspiring and hopefilled Cause of Sr. Marie. (Reading material below DONATE button.)

Virtual Tour of Mary's House

Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal ~ Paris, France

Parents of Archbishop Giuseppe G. Bernardini, OFM, Cap.

Prayers for the Beatification of the Servants of God
Sergio Bernardini and Domenica Bedonni
EnglishSpanishRecall that Arch. Bernardini is the one to give the Imprimatur to the Prayer for Sister Marie's Beatification!

Thursday, August 7, 2014

At first, it seemed the purchase had been lost, but Mr. Binson’s works it out to finish it. Then the property on Nightingale Mountain is put in Sister Marie’s name and she uses her own resources to restore the area.Now they were all waiting for completion of the lawsuit made by The Bey against his nephew. On 20 October, they learned the transactions were under way.
However, some days later when all seemed to be concluded, an obstacle appeared. Despite Mr. Binson’s coolness and ability, he thought, “We have lost.” But he regained his optimism and started the proceedings again. He paid some money and then was back in control of the situation.
The good news finally came to Father Poulin at Sacre Coeur in a telegram on 15 November at 5:40 in the evening. It read, “Congratulations, business concluded. Binson.”
When the deal was finally finished, it had cost less than 31,000 francs in French money.
What a valuable piece of property this Panaghia, by no means a small piece of land. Its length stretched two kilometers from east to west and its width 1300 meters. Its total area is 27½ acres. It takes three hours to cross the plain, five hours with the mountains and the hollows.
When the land was bought, it had been agreed to put everything together for their research: the Castle, the Terrace of Kara-Kaya; Bulbul-Dagh; Kara-Tchalty and the Tower of a Hundred Guards; also the Grotto which is below, known as the Cave of Latone.
As Sister Marie instructed, the property was registered in her name.
“It was logical,” Father Poulin wrote. “She had borne all the expenses and still does for Panaghia; repairing roads, construction of buildings, maintenance of the chapel, amelioration of the property, planting trees, annual expenses for excavations. She has done this with endless generosity and good will.”
“Do make use of me while I am here,” she had repeated often. “After my death, I will not be able to help you.
But Mary’s home was neglected for a long time, had been terribly damaged, looted and uninhabited. Now, however, Sister Marie held the legal title to the land and she knew it was her responsibility to restore Mary’s home. She also knew that people would want to come and see for themselves just how Mary’s Home actually had looked when she lived there.
This, however, was Turkey. Bureaucratic details were held in abeyance and it dragged on and on. It tested the mettle of Sister Marie and her devotion to the members. She managed to have a small building built on the property for a caretaker who was a devout Muslim. Her emotions fluctuated – joy, satisfaction, sorrow, gratitude, determination, thanks, frustration – with the pressures her team had to endure. The reality of it all wouldn’t take effect it until she and her sisters actually viewed the home on December 12, 1892. That day was their first visit to Mary’s home.
Sister Marie, also an administrator, began to discuss with the men their immediate needs for the project. She wanted to construct the following year (1893) a chalet where equipment and tools could be stored and where the sisters would have necessary accommodations. At times, it also could be used for pilgrims to remain overnight.
On 1 December 1892, fifteen days after its purchase, great consolation came to Sister Marie. Archbishop Timoni of Smyrna and Vicar Apostolic of Asia Minor arrived with a twelve-member commission to make an official visitation of Panaghia Capouli. The smallest details of the find were compared with the revelations of Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich. Their official record was made, ratified and signed by the commission, and received most favorable recognition. The commission’s report was followed by the local civil and ecclesiastical approval.
As the RECORD OF EVIDENCE, here in detail is what Archbishop Timoni and his group certified and attested to:
Recent research, undertaken in accordance with the indications of Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, has seriously drawn the attention of the nation for some six months toward an area close to Ephesus and called Panaghia-Capouli (Door of the Virgin). We wanted to verify for ourselves the exactitude of the report that was given us. To this end, on Thursday, December 1, 1892, we were transported to said area of Panaghia-Capouli. There we found the ruins, well enough preserved, of an old house or chapel whose construction according to a competent archeologist dates from the first century of our era and which, as much for the location as for the interior plan, corresponds clearly and entirely to that which Catherine Emmerich said in her revelations regarding the house of the Holy Virgin at Ephesus.

Mini Bio of Sr. Marie by Carl Schutle, C.M.

Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey, Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, was born of a noble and holy family in the Diocese of Dijon, France on September 13, 1839. She desired from a young age to serve God with all her heart and answered her vocation. (Postulant, May 27, 1857, First Vows, September 27, 1862.) At the end of her second assignment in France she was inspired to find the House of Mary in Ephesus, Turkey. At that time Pope Leo XIII requested missionary assistance in Asia Minor. Sister Marie responded.

In 1886 she served as the French Naval Hospital in Smyrna, Turkey, and was appointed Superior in 1890. While in Smyrna she encouraged as expedition to find the House of Mary, Mother of Jesus, headed by Vincentian Priests. On July 29, 1891, Mary’s House, built by St. John the Apostle, was discovered. Archaeologists identified the ruins of a 1st century A.D. house with a Church from the 4th century A.D. having been built over it. On October 21, 1891, Sister Marie received permission from Fr. Fiat (Superior of the Vincentians) to purchase the property in her name which occurred on November 15, 1892. Sister Marie restored the House making it a place of pilgrimage for all people, especially Christians and Muslims. During restoration, three stones from the hearth, built by the Apostles, were found. One of these stones (cornerstone) was given to the de Mandat-Grancey Family Chapel in France to confirm her holy life, work, and devotion to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, uniquely identifying Sister Marie with this primitive Apostolic community.

All of our recent Popes have visited the House: Pope Paul VI on July 26, 1967, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass November 30, 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on November 29, 2006. Sister Marie lived a life of detachment, dedication, virtue, obedience, and charity; she died on May 31, 1915. Her Cause of Beatification was opened on January 21, 2011.

We encourage all promoters to download, print, copy and bind any articles, booklets, or leaflets found on our website –www.sistermarie.com- for non commercial distribution. Non English speaking promoters may have any article or leaflet faithfully translated into their local language for the purpose of advancing promotion for the opening of the cause for the beatification of Sister Marie.